Top 10 Favourite Pub Walks of 2012

Top 10 Favourite Pub Walks of 2012

The Plough and Harrow, Monknash

The weather may still be bitterly cold this long Easter weekend but for some of us the sun is doing its best to break through the clouds and entice us out into the countryside.

The extra time off work is a great opportunity to combine exercise with indulgence - we can enjoy the fresh air and feel we've earnt the right to some good food and real ale in a traditional British pub.

The Dartrmoor Inn pub walk

So, it seemed the perfect time to revitalise this blog with some of the favourite pub walks enjoyed by users of MyFavouritePubWalks.com during 2012.

A walk from The Plough and Harrow in Monknash, South Glamorgan, is always a favourite, offering views over the Bristol Channel, an impressive cove and a woodland route through a nature reserve. Then you get to finish off in a character pub appearing in all the best pub guides.

Alternatively there is The Dartmoor Inn with another favourite circular walk, this time venturing onto Dartmoor near Lydford with moorland views and a cascading stream and a climb up Widgery Tor. Return to The Dartmoor Inn for your refreshment and you won't be disappointed.

The Rose and Crown, Nympsfield

How about a beautiful walk around the Woodchester Estate in Gloucestershire (National trust), taking you through woods, past lily pad filled lakes and an impressive, abandoned gothic mansion. The dog-friendly Rose and Crown at Nympsfield serves food all day and has a huge beer garden.

To see details of more great pub walks perfect for the Easter weekend simply click on Top 10 favourite pub walks of 2012.

Happy pub walking!

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A Pub Walk by Any Other Name

A Pub Walk by Any Other Name...

I have been having a little fun on Twitter this week. Although I talk with a passion about "Pub Walks", one of my followers light-heartedly referred to these as "Boots 'n' Beer". So I thought I would invite the twittersphere to be creative and suggest other alternative names for this very British pastime.

One or two suggestions sound more like pub crawls but for me the walk and pub are of equal importance - you have to earn the indulgence after all in order to fully appreciate it! Anyway, I thought I would share the list here and please feel free to comment and let us know your favourites or any additional suggestions:

In no particular order:

Boots 'n' Beer
Peaks 'n' Pints
Ale Trails
Wine & Wanderings
Tarns & Mist (cockney)
Hikes 'n' Hooch
Hop 'n' Trail
Inn ways
Beery Bimble
Inns and outdoors
Beer Bound
BeeRamble or BeerAmble or even beeRAmble
Pub Potters
Hostelry Hikes
Maps 'n' Taps
Cask Walks
A Bar Too Far
A Snug Fit
Trip To The Bar
A Walk On The Mild Side
Get Fitter With Bitter
The Pub Trudge
The Green Green Glass Of Foam
Pale Ale Snail Trail
A Guiness When You Finish
Ales & Ambulations
Summits and Slurps



To find some great pubs with walks from their doors, click on favourite pub walks.

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Top 10 Pub Walks of 2010

Top 10 Pub Walks of 2010

I have just been browsing the most popular pub walks on www.myfavouritepubwalks.com and thought you may be interested to hear which were the Top 10 Pub Walks of 2010. I enjoy top 10 lists generally because they usually not only contain some entries that are very familiar but also some unknown ones that challenge and inspire me to try something new. Never a bad thing! I hope this one does the same for you.

One of my personal favourites in the top 10 is The Axe and Compass in Hemingford Abbots, Cambridgeshire. This is a charming 15th Century thatched pub which invariably produces great food and we've therefore returned several times.

Another is The Drift Inn near Beaulieu where the walk takes in some parts of the beautiful New Forest where sometimes you may not see another soul on your travels.

You may know and prefer others on the list of course.

You can view the full list and download the route details by clicking on Top 10 Pub Walks of 2010.

I do hope you enjoy this selection and as always it would be great to hear any feedback. All the pub walks have the facility for you to add comments or star ratings so that you can share your experiences with others too. Or if you'd like to suggest any other favourites then please do just add a comment to this post.

Happy Pub Walking!

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Win a Meal for 2 at the Kings Head Hotel, Ross on Wye

Win a Meal for 2 at the Kings Head Hotel, Ross on Wye

The Kings Head Hotel is showing how walker-friendly it is by offering a prize of a meal for 2 to the person with the best pub walk leading to its door.

It has a picturesque location in the market town of Ross-on-Wye which has streets full of character and plenty of excellent walking opportunites in the area. Dating back to the 14th century, it retains many of its original features like oak beams and a large stone fireplace.

The hotel offers a great base for exploring The Wye Valley, Black Mountains, Tintern Abbey and Symonds Yat, the hotel is within a 40 minute drive of Cardiff and Cheltenham. Goodrich Castle, The Forest of Dean and The Welsh Marches are also easily accessible for day trips.

For more details, go to the Kings Head Hotel pub walk competition.

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Want to support our best pubs? Let's walk the talk!

Want to support our best pubs? Let's walk the talk!

The press is currently filled with news of the demise of the great British pub. But is it really all doom and gloom?

We hear that the rate of pub closures has risen to 52 per week, up one third on just 6 months ago. In the same week CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) forces an investigation by The Office of Fair Trading into the crippling effect on tied pubs of high rents and beer prices charged by the monopolistic pub companies.

But there continues to be more positive anecdotal news of individual pubs adapting to the changing needs of the customers with more locally sourced food, special offers and entertainment (not just Sky Sports!). Some of the pubs I “follow” on Twitter are even now reporting record takings.

Not every pub can survive (and we all have stories of pubs that shouldn’t!) but there are many living on the brink of closure that it would be a tragedy to lose not just for their local communities but also for all of us who treasure their existence.

So what can we do? Well my aim throughout this summer is to support at least one pub each week (after a walk of course), sample their menu and if I’m impressed I’ll then spread the word by letting people know on MyFavouritePubWalks.com, this blog and Twitter for all who may be interested.

If you love our pub heritage too and like to include refreshment stops on your walks, I encourage you to join me and do the same to help our best pubs through this recession… and enjoy the exercise at the same time of course!

Please do share details of any gems you find on the way by commenting on www.myfavouritepubwalks.com, http://thepubwalker.blogspot.com or http://twitter.com/pubwalker as we’d all love to hear your experiences. And if you need inspiration for a pub walk to try then you can find it by following any of those links too.

Finally, why not even submit a pub walk for everyone to download?

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Another Competition - Find the Best Pub Walk to The Bear Inn at Stock, Essex

Another Competition - The best pub walk to The Bear Inn at Stock, Essex

As more pub landlords are looking to show that walkers are welcome, The Bear Inn is offering a £30 voucher for food or drink in return for the best walk to their door.

The Bear Inn is now under new ownership and Richard and Brenda extend a warm welcome having tirelessly refurbished the pub. They wish to bring back some of the values that made The Bear a thriving local meeting place whilst continuing to provide some great food which has in the last few years won The Bear awards including an AA rosette for 2005/2006 for outstanding cuisine and two Michelin knife and forks for 2006).

For full details of how to enter just click on Bear Inn - Pub Walk Competition.

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Best Pub Walk to The Bear at Home in North Moreton, Oxfordshire

This Week... The best pub walk to The Bear at Home in North Moreton, Oxfordshire

Here's your chance to win a 3 course meal for 2 at a 500 year old country pub in the beautiful south Oxfordshire village of North Moreton. The landlord is so keen to welcome walkers at his pub that he is offering this prize to the person sending us the best walk featuring his pub!

The Bear at Home serve real ales & home cooked food daily (no food Sunday evening) and makes both dogs and children welcome!

For full details of how to enter just click on Bear at Home - Pub Walk Competition.

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Pub Walks to The Guardian and Observer Summer Pubs

This Week's Pub Walks... Summer Pubs featured in The Guardian and Observer

Free with this weekend's Guardian and Observer is a 2-part guide to Summer Pubs and here a a few Summer pub walks to download that will lead you straight to a selection of them.

The Summer Pubs guide gathers 200 of our best pubs that offer an outdoor experience to remember this summer whether its due to great beer gardens, exceptional views, siting on a ramblers route or simply awesome location.

Some of these pubs I have personally walked to already but there is a superb list of new ones here too that I cannot wait to try for myself. I am striving to get at least one pub walk for each of these pubs so if you'd like to help please click here to add a Summer pub walk.

In the meantime, you can download full route details of the ones I have so far at walks to Summer pubs here.

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"Waterside Pubs" book is perfect for pub walkers

New Book - "Waterside Pubs" is perfect for pub walkers

It is such a pleasure to find a gem of a book like Waterside Pubs that leads you to tucked away pubs that you would be unlikely to ever discover by car. Instead this book encourages you to leave the car behind and travel instead on foot, by bike or even by boat.

Published by Waterways World, the leading inland waterways magazine, Waterside Pubs is much more than just another pub guide and I challenge anyone reading it not to want to walk the waterways and visit every hostelry featured.

To find out more about this book, read our full review at Waterside Pubs Book Review.

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"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Seventh Edition

"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Seventh Edition

This is just a quick post to say that the latest edition of our 2-monthly free newsletter, also called "The Pub Walker" has just been distributed to our subscribers. This includes news on pubs and walking as well as Christmas ideas for all those who share our passion for pub walks. Visitors to this blog can also read the newsletter by following one of the links below.

In this issue: (click on a title to jump straight to the article)

• In the Spotlight ... Win a New Forest pub for £10, National
  Park entry charges and the long-awaited Community Pubs
  Report
• More award-winning pubs
  
• New pub walks in your area - and some updates
• Christmas gift ideas for pub walkers - plus money off pub meals
• Dates for your diary - special events, festivals and deadlines

If you are not already registered with us and would like to receive your own free copy straight to your inbox in future then please simply click on subscribe.

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"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Sixth Edition

"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Sixth Edition

This is just a quick post to say that the latest edition of our 2-monthly free newsletter, also called "The Pub Walker" has just been distributed to our subscribers. Visitors to this blog can also follow a link to it below.

In this issue: (click on a title to jump straight to the article)

• In the News ... Isle of Wight Pub Walking Festival (October) and Pub in the Park
• Award-winning pubs and where to find them
• New pub walks to enjoy - and some updates
• Special offers - including pub meal vouchers, free binoculars and more
• Dates for your diary - special events, festivals and deadlines

If you are not already registered with us and would like to receive your own free copy straight to your inbox in future then please simply click on subscribe.

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"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Fifth Edition

"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Fifth Edition

This is just a quick post to say that the latest edition of our 2-monthly free newsletter, also called "The Pub Walker" has just been distributed to our subscribers. Visitors to this blog can also follow a link to it below.

In this issue: (click on a title to jump straight to the article)

• The Pub Walker says... Why you should support your local
• Award-winning pubs and where to find them
• New pub walks to enjoy - and some updates
• Special offers!
• Dates for your diary - special events, festivals and deadlines

If you are not already registered with us and would like to receive your own free copy straight to your inbox in future then please simply click on subscribe.

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"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Fourth Edition

"The Pub Walker" Free Newsletter - Fourth Edition

This is just a quick post to say that the latest edition of our 2-monthly free newsletter, also called "The Pub Walker" has just been distributed to our subscribers. Visitors to this blog can also follow a link to it below.

In this issue: (click on a title to jump straight to the article)

• Look what's coming - the Alternative Isle of Wight Pub Walking Festival!
• Award-winning pubs and where to find them
• New pub walks to enjoy - and some updates
• Special offers!
• Dates for your diary - special events, festivals and deadlines

If you are not already registered with us and would like to receive your own free copy straight to your inbox in future then please simply click on subscribe.

The Pub Walker
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Let me find a pub walk in your area!

Let me find a pub walk in your area!

If you cannot find some pub walks in your area, why not let me help? Just add a comment to this post and tell me which county or area you looking for. If MyFavouritePubWalks.com has one nearly ready for publishing then I'll see if I can bring it forward in the queue; if they don't have one yet then I'll try and track one down for you!

Simply do an instant search for a pub walk below. Then post a comment below if you'd like some help. I cannot promise to succeed every time of course but I'll do my best and I have learnt various ways for tracing these for myself from spending many hours doing just that!

Enter a Pub Name, Town, Area or County

If you already know some pub walks in the area then it would be great if you could share those with us all too. It's easy to add a pub walk to the database!

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This Week's Free Pub Walk - The Black Swan, Fearby, Yorkshire Dales

Free Pub Walk:

The Black Swan at Fearby in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Black Swan is well known for one of the UK's largest chamber pot collections. With panoramic views over the Vale of York from the public bar and beautiful moorland location, this is a perfect area for walking.

The pub also has a play area overlooked by a heated patio area for the parents so this is a family-friendly pub.

To download and enjoy today simply visit The Black Swan Pub Walk.

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The Publican Pub Food Awards 2007

The Publican Pub Food Awards 2007

The Grapes, Limehouse, London E14 8BP is "Simply the best pub in Britain" according to The Publican magazine. It has just announced its pub food award winners in 14 categories with The Grapes winning the "Pub of the Year" title.

Sunday Lunch Pub of the Year and Pub Food Champion of the Year was the Royal Standard of England which also has two pub walks featuring on MyFavouritePubWalks.com.

To see a full list of the winners visit Pub Food Awards.

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Pub Walks Website Short-listed for Web Award

Pub Walks Website Short-listed for Web Award

I am very excited that our website MyFavouritePubWalks.com has just been shortlisted in the "Best Rural Enterprise Website" category of the Hantsweb Awards 2007. When considering the websites, the judges are looking for "good practice, accessibility, ease of use, relevance and, of course, good design".

As a very young website, recognition such as this is invaluable in helping to publicise the site and show what it has to offer all those interested in our pub walking tradition. It would be fantastic to be selected for the final but we'll have to wait and see - there is still plenty of competition out there and we are still working to improve the site all the time!

Further information on the awards can be found at Pub Walks Website Short-listed for Web Award.

Today's pub walk: The Cross Keys in Caxton, Cambridgeshire.

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Easy to download, share and review pub walks

Easy to download, share and review pub walks online

OK, we didn't get it right first time. But just take another look at MyFavouritePubWalks.com now! We listened to the feedback we received from our fellow pub walkers (thanks everybody!) and have made the whole site simpler to use. The main changes include:

• one-time registration - whether you are submitting your favourite pub walks, just downloading pub walks or even becoming a participating pub.

• email your own favourite pub walks to us - no longer any need to access the secure area of the site to upload the details (we do that for you now).

• the instructions on how to submit your favourite pub walks are now much simpler.
  

So with only 4 weeks left to submit your entry for The Nation's Favourite Pub Walk, why not join in and go for one of the prizes...

Today's participating pub: Live and let Live in Whitbourne, Worcs.
Prizes offered: A meal for two.

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Bank Holiday Pub Walks - Local Competitions

Bank Holiday Pub Walks - Local Competitions

The great thing about bank holidays is they give us chance to both get out in the fresh air and to indulge ourselves a little. Sounds to me like a pub walk is calling!

With a growing number of pubs participating in the Quest for the Nation's Favourite Pub Walk by organising local contests of their own, this is a great chance to maybe win a meal for two as well as one of the national prizes simply by submiting your favourite pub walk.

Even those who just vote can win prizes too. To find whether there is a participating pub near you, click on local competitions.

Today's participating pub: The Good Companions in Surrey.
Prizes offered: A bottle of champagne or top quality wine (3 winners).

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Perfect Pub 2007 - The Turf Tavern, Oxford

The Abbot Ale Perfect Pub 2007 award, run by Greene King, has been won by The Turf Tavern in Oxford. This historic pub dates back to the 14^th century and is just outside the city walls.

What makes this special is that this is the only national pub award voted for by members of the public (excluding our very own competition to find the Nation’s Favourite Pub Walk of course where the public vote for the walk as well as the pub!)

The results are reported in today’s The Publican, which goes on to say that The Turf Tavern also won both the regional and national prizes for serving the best cask beer. So fancy a historic pub walk from The Turf Tavern? Hopefully someone will submit one to MyFavouritePubWalks.com soon.

Today's participating pub: The West Bay in West Bay, Dorset.
Prize offered: A meal for two including a bottle of champagne.

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